Kevin E. Lewis REALTOR® Prudential Orchid Isle Properties - (808) 895-4956 HiloAgent @ Yahoo.com
Home About Me Big Island FAQ Big Island Information Big Island Real Estate Hawaii Books Guides Hawaii Maps Real Estate Listings Referrals
Hawaii Climate Information Hawaii Drought Monitor Hawaii Rainfall Data VOG Conditions Univ of Hawaii Weather Radar

Big Island Hawaii Weather: There are several micro-climates here on the Big Island of Hawaii, ranging from desert-like areas to tropical rainforest, and even occasional snow at the top of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. If you like tropical green and partly cloudy, or almost always sunny and dry, we have it all here on the Big Island!
Easy blowing trade winds often brings the windward Hilo side (East Hawaii) more rain and cooler temperatures than the leeward Kona side (West Hawaii) of the Island. It is cloudier and rainiest in the hills high above Hilo town, and warmer and dryer in the lower elevation areas near Hilo Bay and along the Puna coast. Volcano (upper Puna) weather is cooler and cloudier due to the elevation, and it is not unusual to see a stove or fireplace up there to use during the cooler winter nights. Areas along the Hamakua Coast, especially near Honokaa are quite temperate and the evening rain begins earlier in the hills than along the coast. Don't be misled... an average Hilo day is a sunny morning, partly cloudy afternoon, and rain a few evenings and/or early mornings a week. The weather reports often forecast rain because at some point in the 24 hour day, there is likely to be some rainfall. A funny thing is when mainland clients ask "How can you live in an area that gets 75 to 125 inches of rain a year?" But after they spend a year here, they start praying for the rain to come back when we hit a dry spell! The rain keeps everything green, cool and fresh. It doesn't rain "all the time", but when it does, Hilo and Puna can get quite a downpour!
Kailua-Kona is typically a few degrees warmer and quite a bit more arid than tropical Hilo, and can stay warm well into the evening (unless you are higher up in the Kona hills.) It's almost always warm and sunny near the ocean, and partly cloudy in the hills. To me, areas like Waikoloa in South Kohala are close to southern California like in weather. Waimea is pleasant during the day, and can sometimes be foggy, breezy and even chilly at night, especially on the "green side" of town. Homes in the higher elevation communities of Kona and Kohala may have fireplaces for those cooler winter nights. In parts of Kohala, a strong wind usually picks up in the late afternoons. Both Kau and Kohala have a green side and a brown side, and can be quite breezy at times at both the north and south points of the Island.
Hawaii weather is nice year round - it just depends if you prefer to have more tropical, green and partly cloudy weather, or almost always full sun and dry.
Big Island Hawaii Maps
![]() |
||||
|
Hawaii Distance Chart |
Hawaii District Map |
Hawaii Lava Zones |
Hilo Puna Map |
Rainfall Map |
Big Island Webcams: Hilo Bay Mauna Kea Puu Oo Waikoloa Big Island Photos
Mahalo for visiting my Big Island Hawaii Real Estate Website!
Kevin E. Lewis, REALTOR® HiloAgent.com - Prudential Orchid Isle Properties, Hilo HI - NOBODY Knows the Big Island Like We Do!™